Unfortunately, even doing the entire Knights of the Ebon Blade questline in Zul’drak - starting with An Invitation, of Sorts… or Darkness Calling and going all the way through Betrayal - I’d still not get all the way to honored, unfortunately.

Looks like I’d be a few hundred rep shy (currently at 3710, the quest chain gives 2125 in total, yielding 5835/6000 - almost but not quite honored), so it really doesn’t matter if I get the gryphon now or at 77, it’ll still be 950 gold, for a grand total of…